From Russia with Earflaps: a history of the Ushanka

[Music] a highly practical cold weather hat that will keep you warm through a siberian winter the ushanka has become a symbol of russia marking any character wearing it in movies or comics as russian or soviet funnily enough though for such a potent symbol the ushanka hasn't been around for that long only coming about well into the 20th century that is not to say that its origins are recent fur hats have been worn by humans to protect themselves from the cold for centuries millennia with even five thousand year old ertsy whose remains were found in a glacier sporting one relatively more recently though the origins of the ushanka can be traced to the mongol invaders of what is now russia in the 13th century these fierce nomadic warriors sported what is known as a malachi a wide pointed fur hat with a large flap that could be pulled down to protect the wearer's neck and face from the cold wind or pinned up in warmer times to avoid overheating important for these roaming people who could encounter many different changing climates these hats spread quickly amongst the russian peasantry who according to tradition was supposed to have their heads covered at all times when outside their home they figured that they might as well keep warm originally made with one large flap that would cover all around the head it was eventually modified to have three one for each ear and a third for the nape of the neck and its shape went from conical to something more rounded this type of hat which began to be widespread in the 17th century became known as a troik from triuhi three years it wasn't yet a ushanka but the bases have definitely been laid by the 18th century trois became extremely popular in slavic lands spreading throughout russia ukraine and even into scandinavia they were primarily worn by the peasantry their nobles were also known to have richly ornamented versions made out of the finest furs other countries had their own versions of fur hats that followed similar patterns though none was quite as popular widespread as the russian version the troik remained popular as a working hat throughout the 19th century but it wasn't yet a ushanka as we now know it and it came in many different forms for it to become a standard universally recognized hat it needed the uniformity only the military could provide in 1917 the russian empire was overthrown by bolshevik revolutionaries kicking off a civil war that would pit the former royalists the whites against the new communists the reds each faction wanted a look that was distinctive yet practical and given the climate of russia both would include a hat with earflaps the reds went with the buddhinovka a pointed felt hat nicknamed after simeon budoni a revolutionary commander popular amongst revolutionary troops if you were to come up with a stereotypical russian hat during the 1920s it would probably be the bulenova however it proved impractical its felt construction being too thin to provide adequate protection from the cold and its pointed shape making it impossible to combine with a helmet the whites on the other hand led by alexander kolchak adopted a dome hat with small fur flaps that could be folded down onto the ears which was nicknamed the kolchakova and more or less resembled something like this the whites were eventually defeated though and this hat was not used by the victorious communists but it did lay some groundwork for future headwear as the bhutanovka's inadequacies proved the need for a practical warm winter hat the modern ushanka for all of its russianness originates from a foreign country that russia went to war with in 1939 in what became known as the winter war finland fur hats have been popular for centuries throughout scandinavia to the point where the white sphere hats were known in russia as norwegians or norwegians before the kolchakova nickname took hold because that's the country they associated them with in the early 1930s the soviet navy began issuing a hat somewhere between the kolchakova and the ushanka in its construction with a cloth body that was eventually replaced by leather and fur trimmings and one large flap that could be pulled down over the back of the head it was referred to as the model 1931 finka or finnish hat finland had been one source of fur hats and the finnish army came up in 1936 with the turkislaki m36 a round crowned fur hat with earflaps that could be tied up to the top this hat that you can see here looks rather suspiciously like the ushanka finnish troops were throughout the winter war with russians still wearing buddhi novkas or pilotkas the russians suffered many casualties due to exposure and after the war ended with a soviet victory the high command began looking for a good winter weather hat to replace the inadequate ones that they previously had the answer was right in front of them and in 1940 the red army began issuing a fur hat that was essentially a copy of the finnish m1936 the ushanka was finally born we can take a moment to look at where the name ushanka comes from it simply refers to the earflaps the russian word for ear being uh sometimes they are known in the west as shopkas but that is just the russian word for hat and therefore while not technically incorrect it is rather imprecise the ushanka or shakka yushanka in russian is therefore the ear hat according to its etymology the 1940 ushanka with its cylindrical flat top body long ear flaps tied by laces atop the head and front flap pinned back where a badge can be attached is essentially the one that has enjoyed to this day the soviet would often affix a large red star to the front but on the eastern front of world war ii with some of the most brutal conditions ever endured by soldiers german troops would often recuperate ushankas off the dead or captured as they were far superior to any winter gear they themselves had they would then simply place their own insignias upon them officers would get high quality shrinkers made from rabbit fur or the fur of other animals whereas the troops would get issued with cheap wood pile fur that they humorously referred to as fish fur rib as with many such things its widespread presence in the army eventually filtered down to civilians who saw this practical yet sharp hat and began wearing it themselves rich soviet elites who could afford to had them made out of mink or astrakhan wall and it was worn from the premiere of the soviet union himself down to the communal farm workers the soviet union spread its military style throughout communist countries especially in the warsap act and soldiers and policemen of these countries often adopted the shankar as part of their winter uniform such as in china where it is known as the lay feng hat after soldier and propaganda hero who is often seen wearing one or in czechoslovakia or poland or even ukraine many of these countries still use it all the former soviet countries have a ushanka as part of the winter gear even those that do not have good relations with russia such as ukraine or estonia because it is too practical i had to pass up it is because of this practicality also widespread in many countries that have never been communist but that still have cold climates like we can see on nypd officers u.s postal workers or many people in canada as a side note i've heard it said that it is considered unmanly to wear the earflaps down in russia i cannot speak to the mindset of the average russian on the subject but official army regulations state that the manner of wear is posted at the beginning of each day be it flaps up flaps down or ski style a sort of intermediate way and soldiers have to follow it regardless of the weather as for civilians if it's cold don't worry about being manly or not just you know wear the flaps down and you'll be more comfortable the ushanka is still very present being part of the official winter gear of the russian army despite some reports saying that it was being phased out a few years ago in fact the russian army was simply redesigning it to modernize it by adding openings for headphones a velcro closure or using better quality synthetic fur it also changed its official designation the shankar is very much still there it's also present as well in the forces of many other countries notably it's inspiration's home finland it is also worn as a winter hat by many civilians i myself often wear my own ushanka when it gets really cold out though i am told that like many hats that are seen as stereotypes of the country it is seen as somewhat old-fashioned in russia that doesn't stop it from being present in any souvenir shop in the country in just about every color imaginable sometimes with a soviet star attached to the front for that dash of retro communist chic outdated amongst russian youth or not the ushanka is definitely one of the country's greatest successes used all around the world and yet still inescapably russian once again i hope you found this video interesting and will join me again soon for another hat until then i tip my hat to you

Channel: HatHistorian

Views: 71,317

Keywords: Russia, Soviet Union, Soviet army, fur hat, oushanka, russian hat, HatHistorian, hathistorian, Hat Historian

Id: prEpR9HEcqc

Length: 10min 8sec (608 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 01 2022